Faculty Profile

Gwia Kim

Assistant Professor of Apparel Design and Merchandising

Email: gkim@spu.edu
Phone: 206-281-2465
Office: Peterson Hall 211


Education: BA, Pusan National University (2016); MS, University of North Carolina at Greensboro (2018); PhD, North Carolina State University (2021). At SPU since 2021.

Dr. Gwia Kim received her master’s degree in Consumer Apparel and Retail Studies from University of North Carolina at Greensboro and her PhD in Textile Technology and Management from North Carolina State University. Her research interest covers small business prosperity, brands’ internationalization, consumer behaviors, and merchandising of clothing and textiles. She especially focuses on researching vitalization of small businesses through global expansion and the use of technology.

She has taught several courses about fashion brand management and marketing. Her teaching philosophy focuses on engaging with her students to improve their marketable knowledge and critical thinking skills in the global and digital era. She has a passion for assisting her students to be successful in both their professional plans and their personal lives.


Selected Publications

Jin, B., Kim, G.,* Moore, M., & Rothenberg, L. (2021). Virtual reality: Its effect on emotional states and perceived store attractiveness. Fashion & Textiles, 8(19). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-021-00256-7. [SCI Expanded journal]

Kim, N.,* Kim, G., & Rothenberg, L. (2020). Is honesty the best policy? Examining the role of price and production transparency in fashion marketing. Sustainability, 12(17), 6800. [SSCI journal]

Kim, G.,* & Jin, B. (2019). Older female consumers’ environmentally sustainable apparel consumption: The impact of time perspective and advertising appeals. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 23(4), 487–503. [SSCI journal]

For more information, view Dr. Kim's CV.

Why I Teach at SPU

Gwia Kim, Assistant Professor of Apparel Design and Merchandising

At SPU, I can passionately support students to learn beyond the classroom to the real world in God’s vision. I want my SPU students to contribute to the global fashion industry within God’s promises and plans, cultivating their marketable capabilities and understanding multi-dimensional aspects of the fashion field.